Latch for caskets



Jan. 19, 1954 B. J. SLAUGHTER, JR 2,666,248

LATCH FOR cAsxETs Filed Sept. 2l, 1951 l INVENTOR.

36 T \3 l, BERNARD JSLAUGHTERJ/a Patented Jan. 19, 1954 LATCH FOR CASKETS Bernard J. Slaughter, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio, as-

signor to The Crane & Breed Casket Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September .21, 1951, Serial No. 247,603

This invention relates to a latch construction for a sealed burial casket and more particularly it relates to a sealed latch construction for drawing a casket lid down cna casket body and secur ing the same in place.

This is a continuation in part of my co-pending application Serial Number 136,731, iiled January 4, 1950, now Patent No. 2,607,102, dated August 19, 1952. -1

The latch is generally of the type shown in the application of Bernard J. Slaughter, Jr., and Raymond F. Brown, Serial Number 695,136, filed September 6, 1946, now Patent Number 2,506,553. The latch is for use in a casket of the type having a peripheral compressible gasket held between the casket lid and the abutting rim at the top of the body of the casket. The lid and the casket body each have a hollow rim, the rims having relatively broad, nat, opposed faces. The rim of the casket body is provided with a peripheral trough in which a circumferential gasket is received. The lid compresses the gasket in the trough when the lid is closed. A plurality of latch keepers attached to one of the rims Yare engaged by latches which are attached to the other rim.

An object of this invention is to provide a latch construction in which the latch engages a latch keeper which is mounted kinboard of the gasketholding Ytrough so that no auxiliary gaskets arev 1 claim. (o1. 27-17) required to seal the opening through which the latch keeper extends when the lid is closed.

A further object of this invention is to provide a latch construction for ar casket of this type in which the latch includes a shaft that extends across the rim and passes inboard of the trough so that a latch operating plate or hook mounted on the shaft can engage the latch keeper inboard of the trough.

A further object of this invention is to provide a latch construction for acasket of this type in which the latch operating shaft is elongated and is rigidly supported at both ends. `I

A further object of this invention is to provide a latch supporting structure which engages and restrains the hook of the latch to limit turning of the latch between fixed limits as it is closed or opened.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will in part be apparent and will in part be obvious from the following detailed description, and the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary View of a casket in transverse section, the casket having a latch constructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in transverse section showing the construction of the latch with the lid of the casket being shown partly open;

, Fig. 3 is a View in section taken along line III- III in Fig. l showing the latch in locked position; andY Fig. 4 is a view in section taken along the same line as Fig. 3 but showing the latch in released position.

In the following detailed description and the drawing, like reference characters indicate vlike parts. Y f 'In Figure 1 is shown a casket which includes an open-topped casket body Il? and a lid l2. The lid is hinged along a side of the casket body, asv indicated at I3. A compressihle peripheral gasket I4 extends completely around the rim of the casket body to form a seal between the body and the lid when the lid is closed. Gasket Ill includes a main tubular portion l5 and fiat strips IS and Il that are integral with and project on opposite sides of the tubular portion l5. When the tubular portion l5 is laid in trough it', 'the strips I6 and I1 are disposed on opposite sides of the trough and overlie an upper face I8 of the rim. When lid l2 is lowered, it is drawn down upon the gasket to compress the tubular portion into trough I4', as shown in Fig. 1, and to hold the rim of the lid iirmly in engagement with the strips of the gasket.

The lid 'is drawn down upon the gasket by means of a plurality or" latches I9, only one of which is shown. As shown in Fig. 2, the latch includes a latch supporting sleeve 22. Sleeve 22 extends through an opening in a side wall 22.' of the rim of the casket body. The sleeve is provided with an enlarged head 23 which is disposed outside of the casket body and in engagement with the side wall. rllhe sleeve projects inside the rim and beneath the gasket-holding trough ld. The sleeve is held in place by a nut threaded thereto. Nut 24 engages a washer 2t to form a seal between the sleeve and the side wall 22'.

Sleeve 22 forms a bearing in which a shaft 2 is journaled. The head of sleeve 22 is counterbored to form a recess for receiving an enlarged head 28 at the outboard end of the shaft 27. The shaft 21 is provided wit-h 'a neck immediately inboard of the head 28 upon which is received an annular washer 29. Washer 2S forms a seal between sleeve 22 and shaft 27.

The inner end of shaft 21 extends inboard of the inner end of sleeve 22 and is provided with a flat sided` section 3| upon which is mounted a latch plate 32. Latch plate 32 turns with shaft 21 and is -held in place thereon by a nut 33. Nut

33 is threaded on shaft 2l' and holds the latch plate 32 against the inner end of sleeve 22 so that the head of shaft 21 is held firmly against gasket 28 to insure a seal between the sleeve and shaft.

Shaft 21 extends inboard of nut 33 to form a trunnion portion or journal 34. The journal 34 is supported by a bearing bracket 36. Bracket 36 as shown, is of L-shape and has a vertical leg 36 and a horizontal leg 36". The vertical leg 36 has an opening 31 that serves as a bearing for trunnion 34, and the horizontal leg 36" is disposed below the latch sleeve 22. The free end of arm 36 abuts the outer wall 22 of the casket body rim and is secured thereto as by soldering, brazing or welding. As will be shown infra, the horizontal arm 36 limits turning of the latch between xed limits thereby to prevent damage to the latch keeper 38.

Latch 32, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, is provided with an elongated hook or horn 39. Horn 39 is engageable with keeper 38. As shown, the latch keeper 38 is attached to the rim of the lid at a point inboard of the gasket-holding trough I4. When the lid is closed, latch keeper 38 projects through an opening in the strip portion I6 of the gasket and an opening in face i8 of the casket body rim. The latch keeper is provided with an opening 40 through which horn 38 projects. The horn is provided with an inner cam surface 4I which is adapted to engage the latch keeper and draw the latch keeper and lid downwardly as the latch is turned from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 3.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, lower arm 36" of bracket 36 extends horizontally and just below the latch. When the latch is turned to the position shown in Fig. 4, an elbow 43 of the latch plate engages leg 36" thereby preventing further turning of the latch in clockwise direction beyond the position shown in Fig. 4. When the latch is turned to the position shown in Fig. 3, the tip of horn 38 engages bracket arm 36 thereby preventing further turning of the latch in a counterclockwise direction beyond the position shown in Fig. 8. The lower arm 38" makes it impossible to turn the latch past the limits fixed by that arm. Therefore, the latch can not overrun in either direction and damage the keeper 38.

Since the latch keeper and latch plate are disposed inboard of the gasket holding trough I4', there is no necessity for auxiliary gaskets surrounding the latch keeper and latch plate, for gasket I4 provides a seal which is disposed outboard of the latch keeper and latch plate.

The trunnion supporting opening 31 provides a stable support for the inner end of shaft 21. The outer end of V(shaft 21 is supported in the rim side wall so that both ends of shaft 21 are firmly and rotatably supported. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, latch keeper 38 is disposed above but spaced from the axis of the latch in the direction in which the latch must be turned to draw the lid down so that the latch engages the keeper shortly after the latch keeper is turned past the' position in which the tip of the horn is immediately above the axis of shaft 21.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent to those skilled in this art, that various modications or changes may be made in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, without departing from either the spirit or the scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what l' claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a casket having a lid and a casket body which have rims provided with faces which meet in substantially horizontal latwise engagement, one of said rim faces having a gasket holding circumferential trough, and a gasket in said trough for forming a seal between the lid and the casket body, the invention which comprises a latch coinprising a horizontal sleeve attached to and extending through the side of the casket body and below the trough in water-tight relation with the casket body, the inner end of the sleeve terminating inboard of the trough a shaft rotatably mounted in said sleeve, the inner end of said shaft extending inboard of the inner end of the sleeve, means forming a water-tight seal between the sleeve and the shaft, an L-shaped bracket attached at the opposite ends thereof to the rim of the casket body and to the side wall of the casket body, one of the arms of the bracket extending beneath the sleeve and shaft, the other arm being upright and spaced inwardly from the inner end of the sleeve, said other arm having a bearing opening receiving and journaling the inner end of the shaft, and a hook secured to said shaft between the inner end of the sleeve and the other arm of the bracket, the hook engaging the rst mentioned arm of the bracket at both ends of the swing thereof to limit the swing to less than a full turn, and an upright latch keeper attached to the rim of the lid and projecting through an opening in the rim of the casket body inboard of the trough, the latch keeper being cifset from the axis of the latch in the direction of turning thereof, the hook being engageable with the latch-keeper to draw the rims together when the latch shaft is turned, the hook engaging the latch keeper after passing the position in which the tip of the hook is immediately above the shaft, the tip of the hook engaging the rst mentioned arm of the bracket when in latched position.

BERNARD J. SLAUGHTER, JR.

i References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 388,624 Bremer Aug. 28, 1888 610,537 Hiser et al Sept. 13, 1898 2,506,553 Slaughter et al. May 2, 1950 2,548,681 Oswald Apr. 10, 1951 

